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Pfew verses 
and songs 



BY 



WALTER GILLISS 



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OF THIS BOOK 

TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY COPIES HAVE BEEN 

PRINTED FOR PRESENTATION TO THE 

FRIENDS OF 

FRANK LE GRAND GILLISS 

AND 

WALTER GILLISS 



A FEW VERSES 
AND SONGS 



A FEW VERSES 
AND SONGS 



BY 

WALTER GILLISS 



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NEW YORK 

PRIVATELY PRINTED 

MCMXVI 






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COPYRIGHT, 19 1 6 
BY WALTER GILLISS 




DEC 29 916 


CI.A446975 





TO ONE 

WHOSE FRIENDSHIP 

THROUGH SWIFT PASSING YEARS 

HAS BEEN AN INSPIRATION 

. AND AN EVER SURE 

DELIGHT 



CONTENTS 

CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR 

PAGE 

A Christmas Song .... .(1904) 3 

A Christmas Thought . . ■ . . . (1906) 4 

Christmas . . . . . . .(1910) 5 

A New-Year Greeting to a Friend . ( 1 903) 6 

A Year ....... .(1904) 7 

MISCELLANEOUS 

A Dedication (1902) 11 

The Land Far-Away — A Song . . (1902) 12 

Friend of My Heart — A Song . .(1905) 14 

ASpringSong .... . .(1906) 15 

The Song of the Sun's Going 

Down* . . .-. . .(1907) 16 

At Babylon (1908) 18 

At Roaring Brook Farm . . .(1912) 19 

Work Is Prayer . . . . . .(1911) 20 

An Inscription (1912) 21 

*Reprinted by permission of Vogue. 

ix 



A FEW VERSES 
AND SONGS 



A CHRISTMAS SONG 

AND now, when a waiting world hearkens 
again 

The greeting of Angels — " Peace among men 
In whom He is well pleased''; 

Let hearts unto God in joy outflow, 

For that greatest of gifts which he did be- 
stow 
This day on the children of men — 

In sending His Son to the earth as a child 

That we unto Him might be reconciled. 

And so, while His reign spreads abroad o'er 

the earth, 
With our holy joy and our gladsome mirth, 
Let memory wreathe the thought once again 
Of that greeting most sweet, **May we all 

become 

Even as this little Child." 



November- December, 1904 



A FEW VERSES AND SONGS 



A CHRISTMAS THOUGHT 

ABIT of holly, now I send 
As Christmas Greeting to thee Friend! 
May glistening leaf and berries' glow 
Serve through glad days to let thee know — 
That in the year's most gladsome time, 
When the air resounds with merrie chime 
Of bells, proclaiming each the birth 
Of Him who came a child to earth. 

To lift us up to God; 
In thought I feel a 'near thee friend 
Though greeting without gift I send. 



December 24, 1906 



CHRISTMAS 



CHRISTMAS 

YE men and angels sing; 
Ye clear, glad chimes outring- 
Jesus has come to bless 
The world with righteousness! 

Ye mountains, trees and sky, 
Your voices uplift high! 
Jesus, tender and mild, 
Has come to earth — a child! 

Ye men and maidens prove 
That ye the Christ-child love 
By doing deeds most kind; 
Thus showing ready mind. 

And so shall all men know 
Christ's reign doth earth overflow: 
The Christ has come to bless 
The world with righteousness! 



Christmas, 1910 

5 



A FEW VERSES AND SONGS 



A NEW-YEAR GREETING 
TO A FRIEND 

IN the year just begun, with chimes ringing 
In silvery notes through the air, 
May each day, in its course, come, bestowing 

The All-Father's blessings most rare; 
In measure ever increasing. 

In measure He shall deem meet; 
And so, shall the year in its passing. 
To you, be of all years, most sweet. 



January i, 1903 

6 



A YEAR 



A YEAR 

I LOOK ED upon the silent, patient night, 
Faint-lumined by the softly radiant light 
Of myriad stars — 
And waited for the silver bells to chime 
That hour which marks the passing of a year 
of Time 

Into Eternity. 

And waiting on, expectant, sped swift through 

my mind. 
Thoughts of the year agone — for which my 

lips would find 

Fit words; and so I spake: 

"O! measure of Time! Thou merest mite 
Within the endless providence of God! 
What blessings didst thou hold 
Within thy circling treasure-house of days, — 
More precious far than gems or glittering 
gold,— 

For the children of men?" 



A FEW VERSES AND SONGS 

For the answer waited I a space; 
When lo! from out the midnight darkness 
In a glow of tender, luminous light, 
There came the Spirit of the year — 
Which did this answer frame: 

'*To those, God's children — quick to under- 
stand 
The loving touch of His most loving hand — 
There came each morning of the ended year, 
The vision of a Child, to console and cheer 
Their daily onward way. And as this Child 
Upon them gazed, and radiantly smiled, 
Into their minds would come the memory 

sweet 
Of that glad greeting — holy, pure, most 
meet — 
'May we all become 

Ev'n as this little Child!' 

"And when at close of day, the ever-fading 

light 
Told of the coming of enshrouding night — 
To them, like the gleam of a guiding star, out- 
shone 
That greeting, passing sweet — 
' May we all become 

Ev'n as this little Child!' 

8 



A YEAR 

"And so they sought their rest, calm in the 

thought 
That though the day had toilsome been, and 

fraught 
With many a trial; and burdens grievous to be 

borne 
For others' sake— whose lives were sadly 

torn; — 
They knew that in the morn, the Holy Child 
Once more on them would gaze in vision mild 
Dispelling care and pain/' 

"But they who lacked power to discern the 

Child; 
What was the past year's blessing unto them? " 

Again the Spirit answer gave, in cadence 
sweet : 

"For those with eyes turned earthward — who 

had never seen 
The light which streams from God's illumining 

sun, 
There was the sight of His true children, going 

here and there 
To seek hearts bowed in sorrow, and to list 

the prayer 

9 



A FEW VERSES AND SONGS 

Of desolate, suffering children; — sharing thus 

the load 
Of those who through misfortune are brought 

near to God. 

"And when, they too, perceived the beauty of 
the life 

In God, — (Supremely happy, 'mid the con- 
stant strife 

Of daily living) — they sought the source of so 
great happiness. 

And cried aloud, 'Whence comes this blessed- 
ness? 

For in it we would share/ 

"And when they knew, they straightway 

blessed the year 
Wherein they learned to lift the suppliant 

prayer 
' Lord — ^that to Thee we may be reconciled 
May we be even as this little Child.'" 



December 3 1, 1904 

ID 



A DEDICATION 



A DEDICATION 

TO the memory of the mother 
And the brothers 
Now long-time resting in the land of light — 
Who ever helped me in the years gone by; 
And to the brother and true friends 
Who oft have counseled with me in the work 
I dedicate this book. 



This dedication appeared in "The Story of a Motto 
and a Mark," Published December 24, 1902. 



II 



A FEW VERSES AND SONGS 



THE LAND FAR-AWAY 

THE wind 's in the West, blowing fresh 
and free, 
And my barque bounds swift, o'er the sun-lit 

sea — 
Toward the Land Far-Away, on the starboard 

lee, 
Where happiness now may be waiting for me. 

I sail on and on, o'er the bright, rimpled sea, 
While a silvery mist which appears unto me. 
Spreads itself out so thick o'er the calm, wind- 
less sea 
That the Land Far-Away is quite hidden from 
me. 

Now hark! through the mist, from far over the 

sea, 
Comes the Wind of the East, whispering 

softly to me, 
*' In the Land Far-Away o'er the darkening sea 
Happiness still awaits, and will wait on for 

thee." 

12 



THE LAND FAR-AWAY 

The wind comes in gusts, and the quick-filling 

sail. 
Causes oft my light barque to deep bury her 

rail — 
As she leaps o'er the wave, toward the Land 

Still-Afar, 
Guided safe o'er the sea, by the light of a star. 



December, 1902 



A FEW VERSES AND SONGS 



FRIEND OF MY HEART 

OFRI END of my heart, my heart is thine 
In the long, bright days of the Summer- 
time, 
For though far away by the shore of the sea, 
Thy presence seems hovering close about me. 

O friend of my heart, my heart is thine 
When o'er mountain lake the stars out-shine 
Against their vault of deepening blue, 
And all the world seems at peace for you. 

O friend of my heart, my heart is thine 
In the short, dark days of the Winter-time; 
When, though falls the snow, and the wind 

blows chill, 
The thought of thee e'er my heart doth thrill. 

O friend of my heart, my heart is thine. 
In the lengthening days of the glad Spring- 
time; 
When violet sweet, and jonquil blow 
My heart to thee doth in love outflow. 



September 3, 1905 

14 



SPRING SONG 



A 



SPRING SONG 

T the dawn of the spring, awakens my 

song. 
And my heart sings with joy through all the 

day long; 
As out-floats on the sun-glinting bloom-laden 

air, 
That glad song which my yearning heart harks 

aye to hear; 
For each bird flitting swift through its fresh- 

leafmg tree, 
Sings — the heart of my love is now turning to 

me. 



April 2, 1906 

15 



A FEW VERSES AND SONGS 



THE SONG OF THE SUN'S GOING DOWN 

To the memory of those long resting in the land of light, 
With whom I oft have trod the hills most beautiful; 

And to one — the gleam of whose pale blue star 
For me e'er causes song of the day 
To blend with the song of the night 
In sweetest harmonies; 

And to one now dwelling in the far-away-land 
Of the sun's going down — 
/ dedicate this song, 

THE crest of the highest hill we sought, 
On a day as bright as the earth had known ; 
And into the song of the day was wrought 
The song of the sun's going down. 

The sun seeks rest in the crimsoning West, 
With rose-golden clouds his path bestrewn; 

A bird sings sweet from a near-by nest 
Its song of the sun's going down. 

The clouds spread out as the sheltering wing 
Of an angel, to the earth come down, 

At the quiet-hour, to hear earth sing 
The song of the sun's going down. 

i6 



THE SONG OF THE SUN S GOING DOWN 

The crimson and gold to orange pale; 

The distant hills have fainter grown; 
The thrushes sing in the echoing vale 

Their song to the sun's going down. 

The trees grow dim in the fading light; 

The river flows on, and on, and on; 
And faint sing the 'wakening Voices of Night 

Their song to the sun's going down. 

The Queen of the Night full soon rides high — 

While Lyra's strains, in unison, 
Blend in a silvery symphony 

With the song of the sun's going down. 



August 26, 1907 

17 



A FEW VERSES AND SONGS 



AT BABYLON 

THE Iris bloom'd in that garden, where 
Lilacs erst did blow; 

And Venus glow'd in the heavens as the cres- 
cent Moon hung low — 

While riding high in the Eastern sky the 
Northern Cross shone fair. 

And Vega gleam'd resplendent within its 
sheltering care. 

Anon, 'neath the stars bright shining, with 
hearts and minds care free 

Unto our ears the South Wind bears the boom 
of the distant sea. 



May 31, 1908 

18 



ROARING BROOK FARM 



ROARING BROOK FARM 

I LOOK out abroad on this summer day 
O'er the hills anear, to the land far-away 
And a cloud all white floats high in the sky — 
As a bird flits by. 

Soon dear children come — and in merry rout 
Round the old apple trees we circle about, 
And the Wind of the South blows low, blows 
high— 

And a bird flits by. 

Anon, seeking sweets, to the bloom comes the 

bee. 
And on wav'ring wing comes a butterfly free; 
And the hours speed swift on the wings of the 

wind — 

As the birds flit by. 

So the children, the butterfly, bird and bee 
Play'd each their fair part in the glad har- 

monie — 
Of the day at the home 'mid the apple trees, — 
Where the birds flit by. 

June 2, 1912 

19 



A FEW VERSES AND SONGS 



THE SPIRIT OF LABOR 

I PRAY for the Spirit of Labor 
O Lord, my God, that so 
I may serve Thee — and men, most fully 
Through the days which may come and go. 

Now, when on my labor embarking 

I look, I fmd ever there, 
The Spirit of Labor, waiting. 

To help in response to my prayer. 

And that wonderful spirit standing 

In silence and patience there, — 
To my hand gives its greatest cunning, 

And I know that true work is prayer. 



November 5, 191 1 

20 



AN INSPIRATION 



O 



AN INSCRIPTION 

MEASURE of time! Thou merest mite 

within the endless providence 

of God 

May thy unerring finger ever point 

To those who printed first 

the written word. 



On the face of the Sun Dial erected by the author in 
the garden of the Country Life Press in July 19 12. 



21 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




012 404 875 8 



Hollinger Corp. 



